


Let's Get Married

by olgushka



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Established Relationship, Five Times, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-28 10:52:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10829790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olgushka/pseuds/olgushka
Summary: Five times Josh tries to propose to Tyler and fails and one time Tyler tries to propose to Josh and succeeds.





	Let's Get Married

1\. **_Paris_ , France**

 _It has to be romantic_ , Josh thinks and looks out of the window of their hotel room. He stares at the Eiffel Tower for a long moment. A little red box weighs a ton in the pocket of his hoodie. 

He waits for Tyler to get out of the bathroom so they can go for a walk around the city. It's a day off between shows and a rare occassion to drop to one knee in one of the most romantic places in the world. Josh knows he’s ready for such a big step in their relationship. He’s been ready for a while.

„So, where are we going?” Tyler asks, closing the bathroom door.

„Let's just wander around a bit. Maybe we could take some photos near the tower?”

„Ah. Classic.” The singer grins and pecks Josh on the lips. „Alright then. Let’s go.”

Soon enough, they're standing under the Eiffel Tower, among other tourists and couples in love. And when Josh steals one glance at Tyler, who keeps taking dozens of photos of the Tower from all the possible angles with his focused face and furrowed brows, he knows it’s the best decision of his life.

When the singer walks back to him, presenting the Instagram page with the shot he's the most proud of, Josh inhales deeply and takes both of Tyler's hands in his own. 

„I love you.” He starts casually.

„I love you too.” Tyler replies with a smile.

„Uh... Tyler. You will probably think I'm crazy but-”

The sound of loud cheering cuts off Josh’s speech. Enthusiastic clapping erupts behind their backs and they look in the direction of the noise. There's a guy kneeling on the ground, sliding a ring on a finger of a crying girl. She nods furiously and then lunges forward, throwing her arms around the boy’s neck. She hugs him tightly and kisses him like her life depends on it while people are still whistling and congratulating them.

„Aww, cute. But this is like, the most cliche place for a proposal, don't you think? Along with Venice and Niagara Falls, probably.” Tyler says, looking at the happy couple. „Icons of romantic _unoriginality_.”

„Uhm. Yeah...” Josh chuckles nervously and scratches the back of his neck. „Totally. So unoriginal.”

„Right.” Tyler nods and turns his head to look at the drummer again. „You were saying...?”

„M-me?”

„Yeah, something about being crazy?”

„Oh. Really? I forgot already. Probably some silly thought.” Josh says, averting his gaze. „Let’s get ice-creams.” He pushes the box to the very bottom of the pocket, takes Tyler by the hand and leads him away from the Eiffel Tower.

 

2\. **_Phoenix_ , Arizona**

 _Screw the romance_ , Josh decides while they’re walking to get some food, _just do it_.

After finding out about Tyler's specific opinion about proposal spots, he decided to put his plans on hold. He has spent days digging through the depths of the Internet to find some original romantic ideas but nothing really caught his attention. Until now, the box was buried deep inside his travel bag. 

They eat lunch on the outdoor patio of the restaurant and spend most of the time talking about music and future shows. They fall into a comfortable silence for a while, just smiling at each other or watching other people.

„So, Tyler...” Josh starts when the silence starts to make him nervous. He clears his throat and reaches to the pocket of his skinny jeans. „I’ve been thinking-” His heart stops when he doesn't feel the ring. He discreetly pets the other pocket but instead of the silver band, he finds one of his fidget toys. The ring is not there and he curses himself for taking it out of the box. „Uhm. Excuse me for a second.” He says nervously and runs back inside the building, straight to the bathroom. 

He locks himself in one of the stalls and searches through the pockets: the front and the back ones, pockets of his jacket and even the tiny pocket on the front of his t-shirt. The ring is nowhere to be found. He panics, thinking that he lost it but then he remembers: _wrong pants_. The ring is tucked in the pocket of another pair of his skinny jeans that he left in his bunk after spilling water all over his leg.

Josh bangs his forehead against the cold wall. He takes a few deep breaths, composes himself and goes back to the table.

„What was this all about?” Tyler asks, slowly sipping his lemonade.

„I had to pee.” He says and looks at the singer who sits there with a straw between his lips and raised eyebrows. „ _Badly_.”

 

3\. **_Los Angeles_ , California**

 _Breakfast in bed_. Josh nods to himself, taking two plates out of the cabinet. _Reasonable amount of cliche. Safe place, my own well-known territory, the quietness of our own flat._

He prepares the food and sets the plates on a wooden tray. When he walks back into the bedroom, Tyler is already awake. He lies there with the phone in his hand and sheets pushed down to his waist. He looks up at Josh and his eyes widen.

„No way.” He laughs. „What's the occasion?”

„Do I need a special occasion to treat my boyfriend?”

„Well, no. I mean... We've never done breakfasts in bed before.”

„Maybe it's time for a change.” Josh grins and sets the tray in the center of the bed. 

Tyler puts away his phone and pushes himself to a sitting position. He stares at the tray.

„This looks amazing. Wow. Thank you.”

They're almost done with eating when a few unfortunate things happen at once. Josh reaches to the drawer and takes out the box and Tyler reaches for his mug. At the same time, Tyler's phone starts buzzing and ringing loudly on the bedside table, making them both jump. The box falls out of Josh's hand and rolls under the bed and Tyler knocks the mug over and the contents spill all over his hands and the sheets. 

There's a huge brown puddle of liquid soaking through the white covers.

„Damn!” Tyler shouts and catches the empty mug.

„Oh my God, Tyler. Are you alright?”

„Yes, yes. I'm fine. It wasn't hot anymore.” The singer says, licking coffee off his fingers. „Sorry, I'm sorry. Oh dear. I made a mess. I'm sorry.”

„Hey, no worries.” Josh shifts closer and kisses him on the temple. „Calm down. The washing mashine is a thing, you know? Come on, let's change the sheets.”

When Tyler walks out of the room, carrying dirty sheets to the bathroom, Josh dives under the bed, snatches the box from the floor and shoves it angrily back in the drawer.

 

4\. **_Las Vegas_ , Nevada**

 _Dressing room, after the show_. Josh decides. _Is there a better way to finish the day than proposing after playing a sold out show?_

He watches Tyler from behind his drum set and smiles at the happy man. Like every night, Tyler is having the time of his life. He bounces around the stage, jumps off the piano, raps without missing a word. 

After two hours of craziness, they're exhausted and drenched in sweat. They giggle when they run through the hallway, holding hands and looking at each other like love-struck teenagers. Once they're inside their dressing room, Tyler attaches his lips to Josh's. The drummer shuts the door with his foot and pushes Tyler until the singer's back hits the wall. They make out hungrily although they're still out of breath after the show.

„I have something for you.” Josh says once he rests his forehead against Tyler's.

„Yeah? What is it?”

„It's in my bag. You have to let me go, though. So I can get it.”

„Not letting go.” Tyler shakes his head and pulls laughing Josh closer. 

„I'll be worth it, I promise.” He says, wriggling from Tyler's embrace and making his way to the bag. 

He's about to reach to the zipper when there's a loud bang behind his back and the door opens wide. He looks over his shoulder to see four members of Panic! At the Disco march into the room with a big bottle of champagne decorated with a red messy bow. 

„Surprise, bitches!” Brendon yells from the doorway. „You thought you could get away from hanging out with us when we happen to be in the same city? Over my dead body!” He shouts and lunches himself at Josh. „So good to see you! What a show!”

Normally, Josh would be excited about Brendon's presence. This time, he imagines himself strangling him to death and hiding his dead body in the venue's basement.

„Yeah, yeah... Good to see you too.” He mumbles, hugging Brendon and looking over to Tyler who high-fives Dallon with a wide smile. 

Their little party lasts for the next few hours. When everyone leaves the room close to four in the morning, Tyler collapses face-down on the couch and falls asleep immediately. Josh sighs and rubs his hands over his face. The proposal gets postponed again.

 

5\. **_Columbus_ , Ohio**

 _Let's kill two birds with one stone_. Josh thinks, fixing the collar of his white button-down shirt. _Thanksgiving dinner. Perfect opportunity to propose to Tyler and announce it to the whole family._

Both of their families are there. It's loud and crowdy but the atmosphere is unique and they both love it. They sit next to each other, Tyler's chair close to Josh's and they hold hands under the table while watching their siblings fake-fight over something. Tyler giggles at Maddie's pout when Jordan says something that clearly disappoints her, and rests his head on Josh's shoulder, snuggling as close to the drummer as he possibly can. Josh turns his head to the side and kisses the top of his dark hair, rubbing circles at the back of the singer's hand. 

The dinner continues and the subjects of conversations switch from one to another faster than songs on their last album. 

When their parents focus on Maddie's engagement, everyone gets excited. Maddie presents her ring and tells everyone about their wedding plans. Tyler's father doesn’t miss the chance to hint how important it is to approach the future seriously and maybe think about getting married, especially after being in a relationship for so long. Josh smiles, imaging how fun it will be to plan the wedding with Tyler but then his boyfriend says something that makes Josh's heart stop.

„Getting married does not result in getting happier or more satisfied.”

Everyone gets silent at his statement and they stare at him blankly. Tyler's dad tries to disagree but it seems like Tyler-the-Smartass wins this battle.

„It's not like marriage is as important as it was years ago.” He says without hesitation. „It's just a piece of paper. I don't need to marry Josh to let him know how much I love him. If you love your partner you don't need a marriage license to show that. Why should we get married just because others are married?” He asks. His mom opens her mouth but can’t form a sentence. „We can still do the things married couples do but without the marriage title over the both of our heads. We can still be in solid and truthful relationship with each other for years without making a big deal on marriage. So no, dad. I don't think it's important at all.”

„Excuse me.” Josh mumbles a moment later, throwing his napkin on the table and pushing his chair back. It scraps against the floor and balances on the back legs but doesn't fall over.

He runs upstairs to Tyler's old bedroom, needing a quiet place. They stay here every time they visit. He comes closer to the window and looks outside, resting his forehead against the cold glass. He takes a few deep breaths to stop himself from bursting into tears right on the spot.

The bedroom door opens and closes. He doesn't turn around but then there's a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

„Josh, are you okay?” Tyler asks quietly.

„Peachy.” The drummer snaps.

„What's going on?”

„Nothing.”

„Was it the thing I said about marriage?”

„Drop it.” Josh tenses.

„Oh. So it is about that. Why? Do you wanna marry me or something?” Tyler frowns.

„It doesn't matter since you don't want to get married anyway.” Josh pushes himself off the window sill and turns to the door.

„I said it was not important, not that I don't want to get married.”

„Okay. Let's go back. People are waiting.” Josh says and twists the doorknob.

„Josh, wait. Why-”

„Because I'm old-fashioned.” The drummer snaps. „I'm sorry that I find marriage one of the most valuable things in life. I'm sorry that I love you so much that I want to marry you and call you my husband. I'm sorry that it's actually important to me.”

„Josh, I-”

„It's fine Tyler, forget it.” He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. „It's fine. We don't have to get married. Not now, not ever. I respect your opinion.” With that, he leaves the room.

There's a noticeable tension between them until the end of the dinner. When they settle in bed later that night, Tyler cuddles against his side and presses his nose into the crook of Josh's neck. He strokes his shoulder as a silent apology. The drummer closes his eyes and falls asleep, avoiding any conversation with Tyler. 

Josh doesn't propose. He returns the ring to the jeweler the next day. _Someone may need it more_.

 

+1. **_New York City_ , New York**

„Okay. Let's stop right here for a second.” Tyler says into the microphone and puts his ukukele away.

Josh looks at him in confusion. They're in the middle of the show, the last notes of _The Judge_ are currently fading away and people are still cheering. Nothing has gone wrong so far, so it's impossible for Tyler to cut the concert this short.

„I've planned everything a bit differently but screw this. This is Madison Square Garden. There's no better place to do this.” He says, walking away from his microphone stand just to return to the same spot again a few seconds later. „First, I have a favor to ask. Turn on your cameras, keep taking photos. Something big is going to happen and I want footage of that from all the possible angles so I can show it to my grandchildren one day.” He giggles and the audience follows. There's a forest of hands holding different recording devices in the air a moment later. „Alright. Josh, come here.” He turns in the direction of the drums and gestures for Josh to come down from the platform.

The drummer climbs down and stands next to Tyler. He pulls the monitors out of his ears and mouths _what?_ staring at the singer. Tyler nods once and gives his full attention to the audience again. 

„A few weeks ago, during Thanksgiving dinner, I said something incredibly stupid and hurt someone important to me, although I didn't mean it.” He looks over to Josh. „You know who I'm talking about.” He smiles and waits for the noise to stop. „So, you all know how family gatherings go, right? There is always this moment when someone asks: _Are you seeing someone? Maybe it's time to get a boyfriend? Why don't you have a girlfriend yet? Why don't you have a kid yet?_ ” He makes a long pause. „Or, my two personal favorites: _You've been in a relationship for so long, maybe it's time to take it to the next level?_ and _When's the wedding?_ ”

Josh hides his face in his hands. He already knows where this is going. 

„And yes, it happened. They asked us about the wedding.” Tyler continues and the crowd erupts with cheers. „Wait until you hear it all.” He says, shushing people. „They asked us about the wedding and I said: _weddings are not important_.” He gets booed and there are whistles of disappointment. „It's kind of true. And I still believe in what I said. Because you really don't need a marriage certificate to prove your love for somebody. But then, after I fucked up and made a certain someone give me a silent treatment for two whole weeks...” He smirks at Josh. „...I realized that I acted like a real dipcrap and even if the institution of marriage doesn't seem important to _me_ , it may mean a lot to my other half. And I kept thinking: _what's the deal?_ Why is it such a big deal, you know? So I talked to married people, not married people, divorced people. I think I reached my lowest point when I went for advice to Brendon Urie.”

Josh can't help but laugh at that.

„And you know what? Honestly, I still don't get it. But, uhm-” He scratches the back of his neck, turns to the drummer and looks him straight in the eyes. Then, he drops to one knee and reaches to the pocket of his black skinny jeans. He needs to wait a good few minutes before he can put the microphone to his mouth again after the crowd goes wild. „I love you, Josh.” He pops the dark blue velvet box open and Josh shakes his head in disbelief. „And I'm as serious as you when it comes to this relationship. You're my best friend, my soulmate, my partner in crime. You're the only person in this world who's still able to keep me sane. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I really want to see you happy. If it means I've got to wear a ring on my finger from now on and believe that the said piece of jewelry is a real symbol of our love to each other, then so be it. I'm in.” He says and takes a deep breath. „So, Josh. Let's get married. How does that sound?”

Josh stands there, still shaking his head and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. 

„Why are you shaking your head? Is that a _no_?”

„No!” Josh shouts over the crowd and nods. „No! I mean, yes!”

„I'm really confused right now.” Tyler chuckles. „Remember, if you let me down, I won't be mad but thousands of people will probably wait outside after the show with the honest plan to kick your pale butt.” He grins. „Okay. Let's start again. Joshua William Dun, will you marry me?”

„Yeah.” The drummer nods and smiles. Tyler offers him a microphone and Josh leans in. „Yes. Of course I will.” He says and the crowd erupts with cheers. 

Tyler slides the ring onto Josh's finger and the drummer pulls him to his feet. They fall into each other’s embrace, hugging and swaying on their feet. 

„You didn’t have to do that.” Josh says into his ear.

„No, I didn’t have to. But I _wanted_ to.” 

Tyler plants a chaste kiss on the drummer's cheek and pulls back. He takes Josh's hand and leads him to the edge of the stage. 

„Ladies and gentleman, we're now officialy engaged. Send gifts to our management. Preferably lots of Red Bull for me and a year’s supply of chocolate for Josh.”

Josh punches him playfully in the arm and Tyler grins at him. 

„Okay, Jishwa. Let's continue with this show, shall we?”

**Author's Note:**

> ...and they lived happily ever after. 
> 
>  
> 
> ~~I should get a life. I'm too old for this. Am I too old for this?~~


End file.
